


Advanced Goodbyes

by Feeshies



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feeshies/pseuds/Feeshies
Summary: Annie thought she would be prepared to say goodbye to Abed when they arrived at the airport.
Relationships: Annie Edison/Abed Nadir
Comments: 13
Kudos: 118





	Advanced Goodbyes

Over the years, Annie learned to become adept at saying goodbye. There were the cursory goodbyes with her parents before she moved out of her childhood home. Later that year, there was the sense of accomplishment she felt when she knew that she was ready to move past her old rehab group. And of course there were the bittersweet goodbyes she exchanged with Troy before he left on his expedition around the world.

When she knew she would be moving to Washington, D.C., she immediately got to work making sure her departure from the remains of her study group went as smoothly as possible. Jeff assumed she was just looking for an excuse to crack open a new three ring binder, but this was a big deal. This chapter of her life was coming to a close, and Annie refused to leave any loose ends. She spent the weeks leading up to her trip returning borrowed items, paying back any loaned money down to the penny, and crafting personalized hand-written thank you cards to everyone who had written a letter of recommendation for her. She even wrapped things up with Jeff. Figuring out that tangled web of emotions was pretty high on her to-do list, even before her time with her friends grew an expiration date.

Annie expected the most difficult phase of her agenda was helping Abed become comfortable with the idea of her leaving. Unlike the other items in her planner, this was something she would have to take her time with. Introducing Abed to major changes required more than a single bullet point in her day planner. She crafted an entire nested outline for him.

However, it turned out that her outline wouldn’t be necessary. When she found out that Abed would be moving to L.A to work as a production assistant, of course Annie was thrilled (although she was a bit annoyed that her incredibly well thought-out outline would be going to waste). Abed was brilliant and hopefully soon the rest of the world will learn to realize that as she had. And it turned out that Abed was just as ready to move on from the group as she was. They would be able to say their goodbyes without her having to worry about him. She could relax.

It was difficult to maintain the same “Study Room F” energy as Jeff drove Abed and her to the airport, but she soon realized that they didn’t have to. For most of the drive, it was enough to sit in peaceful silence. The mood became more lively once Annie got to talking about her future internship and Abed shared more details about his production gig. When Jeff tried to reminisce about their years as a study group, Abed would shut him down stating that “clip show episodes are always the worst”. And suddenly everything felt normal again.

Jeff parked outside of the entrance to Denver International Airport. He helped Abed and her with their bags as they got out of the car. They hugged him for the last time. And then it was over. This goodbye went exactly as Annie planned it.

Except she didn’t plan on the part where she and Abed had to walk into the airport.

After such an emotional sendoff, it felt wrong to continue walking next to him. Would they have to do another heartfelt goodbye? Annie wasn’t sure she could handle that. It was unusual, feeling so awkward around him. After years of living with him and even more years of being his friend, she had learned to be completely comfortable around Abed. He was an ever-present force in her life. Abed has come to be her rock, her source of stability. People with only a superficial knowledge of Abed probably would have seen this description of him as being strange, but it was the best description she could think of for the way she felt around him. He provided her with a sense of joy that she missed being able to experience before coming to Greendale. What would her life even look like without him in it?

Annie’s heart fell in her chest. Even after all her planning, the planners, the to-do lists, the weeks of emotional preparation, it wasn’t until she was walking into the airport when it finally dawned on her that Abed would be gone.

She was also so lost in this realization that she completely missed that Abed had asked her a question.

“Huh?” Annie pulled herself out of her mind and looked up at him. If Abed was going through a similar emotional turmoil, his neutral expression did a good job masking it.

“Are you checking your bags?”

“Just this one.” She looked back at the rolling suitcase trailing behind her. “The other’s a carry-on.”

Abed nodded,

“Cool. I’ll walk with you.”

Annie smiled. Maybe some more time together would help bring back the old “Abed & Annie” energy. Before they both get on separate flights and never see each other again.

Great. She thought bitterly at herself. There I go again.

“What time’s your flight?” She asked, trying to keep everything feeling as casual as she could. 

Abed fished his phone out of his pocket.

“My flight begins boarding at 7:25.” He put his phone away. “I don’t know why it couldn’t be 7:30. Or just 7. 7:25 feels so incomplete.”

“I know what you mean,” Annie sighed. “My flight is at 7:55.”

Abed looked at her curiously.

“7:55? I thought you booked the red eye flight.”

“I did at first, thought it would be cheaper. But I wanted to carpool with you and Jeff without sitting around the airport for two hours.” She tugged at the strap of her messenger bag. “Do you really think I’d let Jeff be the last one to say goodbye to you?”

Annie looked at him through the corner of her eye and saw him doing his small, closed-mouth smile as he looked down at the ground.

“I’m glad you’re here too.”

After she checked her suitcase, Annie and Abed sat against the wall on the floor. There were empty seats available, but none of them were near outlets. Abed plugged his phone into the wall and pulled something up on the screen.

“I want to show you where I’ll be staying.”

Annie leaned over his shoulder so she could see the screen. Realistically she didn’t have to be that close for her to see it, but…

Abed flipped through photos showing an empty apartment, the bare walls and lack of furniture making the space look a lot larger than it probably was. The bright sun and the busy streets of L.A. could be seen through the wide, open windows. Even though Annie knew the apartment was still unfurnished, it was strange imagining Abed living somewhere that was so devoid of his personality.

“I’m excited for you, Abed.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Do you know when the rest of your stuff is getting shipped over?”

“Hopefully a few days after I arrive, but I don’t want to go too overboard with the decorating right away. Roommates and all.”

“Roommates, huh?” Annie tilted her head to the side. “Have you met them yet?”

Abed shook his head.

“Not in person, no. But we have talked on the phone a few times so I know they’re not murderers.” He paused. “I hope.”

Annie knew it was irrational, but she couldn’t help but feel a pit slowly forming in her stomach. He really was moving on. All she could do was hope that Abed’s new roommates would appreciate him as much as she did - the same way he made her feel appreciated. 

She remembered being in high school and feeling the need to hide her stuffed animals whenever the occasional friend or study buddy came over. But when she moved into Troy and Abed’s apartment during her junior year, she never once felt that urge. If she was able to tell her high school self that at some point, Troy Barnes would know about her stuffed animal tea parties, she would probably end up setting off another emotional meltdown.

Annie was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize that she was still leaning against Abed’s shoulder, but he didn’t seem to complain. Over the years they had learned to grow comfortable with a certain level of intimacy. Playfully nudging each other during class, holding hands during an intense scene in a movie, falling asleep on the couch and waking up entangled together. She never suspected anything of it, because that’s just the way their friendship worked.

But she could still remember the firm hand on her waist when he kissed her during the paintball game. She could remember how his voice was able to take over her whole being whenever he busted out his Don Draper impression. She could still feel the surprisingly gentle touch of his hand against her cheek during the broken DVD debacle.

Were those moments the reason she would always seek out excuses to touch him? Afterall, she was almost always the one to instigate it. When watching movies, Abed was always too preoccupied to think about holding her hand, but he never pulled away when she held his. As she rested her head against his shoulder, she was more aware of his presence than ever before. The way her neck contoured against the sharp angle of his shoulder, the softness of his flannel shirt against her skin, the subtle motions of his gentle breathing.

Abed looked down at her, his face so much closer to hers than she realized. Her breath caught in her throat. Once again, she realized that he asked her a question which she missed.

“I’m sorry, could you say that again?” Her voice came out as a high-pitched mumble.

The corners of his mouth twitched, almost forming a small smile. Up close, it was much easier to notice and appreciate all of the microexpressions on his face.

“Are you getting new roommates?”

“Oh.” She mentally scolded herself for forgetting about her future and shook her head. “No, I’m going to try to live alone for now, until I get used to the new routine.”

Abed frowned.

“You’ll be living in a better neighborhood, right?”

“I am, promise.” She smiled back up at him.

“Cool.” Abed’s shoulder noticeably relaxed underneath her. “Cool, cool, cool.”

Annie was about to say something, but her words got tangled in her throat when he reached down and held her hand. When she was able to get her mind to start working properly, she intertwined her fingers with his.

“I’m going to miss you,” she whispered.

“We’ll see each other again.” Abed’s voice was level, but she noticed his voice trembling slightly towards the end of his sentence.

“I’m holding you to that.” She moved off of Abed so she could lean back against the wall. As much as she would have liked to continue being pressed up against him, she could already feel his shoulder bone making a permanent imprint on her face.

They sat next to each other in silence, fingers still interlocked. Annie felt a slight thrill when she realized that the people walking past them would probably assume that they were a couple. Pushing down all of her better judgment, she allowed herself to live in the fantasy. That they weren’t two friends and former roommates moving to opposite sides of the country, they were a young couple going on vacation together. They would have date nights, family dinners, and they held hands in a romantic way.

Abed checked his phone with his free hand.

“15 minutes.”

“Oh.” Annie held his hand tighter, as if it would stop him from leaving. “Do you want to move somewhere closer?”

Abed shook his head.

“I’m already comfortable. And I can see my terminal from here.”

“Okay.” Annie responded, absentmindedly running her thumb along his knuckles.

“It’s weird.”

Annie’s heart lurched forward and she stopped.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

Abed turned his head towards her, looking genuinely confused.

“No, I was thinking about airports. Usually such a popular source of third act tension in movies. But when you go to one, it’s just...boring.”

“Oh.” Annie held back her sigh of relief. “But you could say that about most locations, right?”

Abed stopped to think for a moment.

“I guess so.”

“If you want,” Annie went back to playing with his hand. “We can reenact that third act trope where you chase after me to stop me from getting on a plane and leaving. For pretend, of course.”

Abed stared off into the distance. He slid his hand out of her grasp so he could gesture with them as he mouthed words to himself, the way he always did when he was walking through a scene in his mind’s eye. But then he stopped and shook his head.

“Wouldn’t work. I mean, the trope has its place, but I’m still an Arab man.” He shrugged. “Don’t think I should be running through an airport and causing a scene.”

“Sorry,” Annie’s voice was quiet, embarrassed that she didn’t consider that.

“It’s fine, I don’t think it’s the role for me anyway.” He looked back at her. “You fit the romcom heroine archetype better than I do. If people saw you running in an airport, they’d probably just think you were cute.”

Logically, Annie knew that her takeaway from that statement shouldn’t be “he called me cute”, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Well, maybe there’s another scene we can act out.” Annie let her hand rest on the linoleum floor between them, hoping that Abed would take the hint and hold it again.

“I don’t think so.” Abed didn’t take the hint. “People get jumpy in airports. I’m just going to try to be normal.”

Abed stared off into the distance, looking lost in thought until eventually he spoke again.

“Should I send you that Missing Lover footage?”

The question took Annie aback.

“You don’t want it?”

“The footage is for a love interest to watch in the event of you being kidnapped or murdered.” Abed explained, even though she was well aware of the purpose. “If I was kidnapped or murdered, footage of you wouldn’t do me any good.”

“But how am I supposed to get the footage to my love interest if I’m kidnapped or murdered?”

Abed frowned and considered her response for a moment.

“You’re right,” he gave her a small smile. “Then I’ll hold onto it for now.”

Despite the grim subject matter, Annie felt a feeling of warmth flood her chest.

More silence, but this time Annie knew it was because Abed was deep in thought. She could see it in the slight furrow of his brow, the subtle movements of his eyes, the details she had learned to read over the years.

“How safe is your new place?” He spoke at last.

“Oh,” Annie shrugged. “I think it’s pretty safe. Much safer than my old place, that’s for certain.”

“That isn’t saying much.”

“I know, but,” she stammered. “There weren’t many reviews for the complex that brought up security or safety concerns”

“But there were some?”

“There’s always going to be a risk.” She looked up at him as he continued to stare off into the distance, as if he was already piecing together some elaborate rescue mission. “Are you worried about me?”

“Yes,” he answered faster than she expected. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that...” he trailed off. “I like being able to be there for you. People like me aren’t usually leading men, but doing nice things for you makes me feel like I can be one.”

“Abed,” Annie laughed as she absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger and leaned in closer to him. “I’ll admit it, you make an excellent Han Solo.”

“You don’t have to admit it, I know.” Abed didn’t seem to notice her change in body language. “And I can’t bring back Han, since he died during the paintball game.”

“Oh, right,” she pulled back and looked down at the floor. “So that was all Han…”

She spoke so softly that she didn’t expect Abed to hear her, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

“No,” he stopped to think. “That wasn’t all Han.”

“Is that so?” Annie tried to keep her voice level, but it still came out an octave above her normal speaking voice towards the end. “So, who else was there?”

“Well,” Abed sat up straighter and his eyes went a tiny bit wider. “There’s no such thing as a ‘pure’ interpretation of a character. Any actor is going to be influenced by a number of different references at a time.”

“Oh.” Annie mentally kicked herself for feeling disappointed. It was four years ago, why was she disappointed? “But you did a very good job regardless.”

“Thank you,” he smiled and visibly relaxed. “You make a good leading lady.”

Annie smiled and leaned against his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat when he leaned back against her, resting his head against the top of hers. She closed her eyes, pushed down her nagging insecurities, and allowed herself to savor these moments when she could still exist with Abed. Everything about him, his warmth, his touch, the way he made her feel grounded. The way she felt relaxed around him, like she didn’t need to prove anything to him. She could just be Annie, and that was enough. Distantly, she wondered what her recovery would have been like if Abed was in her life, supporting her when she checked into rehab.

She almost wanted to express this feeling to Abed, but she lost the chance when he checked his phone and pulled away from her.

“My flight’s boarding soon. I should get to my terminal.”

“Yeah, mine too.” Annie tried to suppress her disappointment as she returned to the present.

Abed helped her to her feet and she followed him to his terminal. One more chance to say goodbye. And this time, she was going to hit every crucial emotional checkpoint she mapped out in her planner. She still had that going for her.

When they reached his terminal, Abed stopped and turned around to face her, as if expecting the emotional goodbye she had planned out. Everything looked easier when it was written in the pages of a day planner.

“So is this goodbye?” Annie stared at the wall behind his head, unable to bring herself to meet his eyes.

“I guess so. But only for now.” He looked over his shoulder at the flight board before returning his attention back to her. “Can I hug you?”

Annie’s chest tightened and she nodded, unable to speak.

When Abed pulled her into his arms, it took all of her willpower for Annie to keep herself from crying. She loved the way he felt against her, the way his hands held her waist and his face buried against her neck. She looped her arms around his shoulder, gripping the fabric of his flannel shirt as if that would be enough to keep him from leaving.

And when they pulled away, Annie could feel the beginning of the distance forming between them.

“I’m going to miss you.” She kept her voice hushed to keep her emotions shielded.

Abed smiled at her.

“I’ll text you when I land.”

Annie nodded, then turned around to get to her own terminal. She didn’t look back, only because if she didn’t, she could pretend that he was looking back at her.

The walk to her terminal drifted past her in a haze until she found herself standing in front of the moving walkway. Annie froze in place as passersby ran around her to their destinations. All she had to do was take a step and the next chapter of her life could begin, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. There was something gnawing away in the back of her mind, like that feeling she would get when she would go to bed without completing all of the tasks in her planner.

She took a deep breath and stepped back from the moving walkway. For all of her planning, she knew that she wasn’t done with her goodbyes just yet. In order to complete all of her tasks, she would have to do something incredibly stupid.

Annie turned on her heels and ran back in the direction she came from, occasionally brushing shoulders with other passengers. She hoped that Abed’s claim that she would look cute running manically through an airport was true, because she always believed that she looked weird when she ran. It was for that reason why her mother discouraged her from signing up for track and field when she was in high school. The insecurities about how her mouth always hung open when she ran or how her arms flailed around were only distant blips in the back of her mind as she only focused on getting to her destination.

When she saw Abed was still at the terminal, Annie felt a rush of relief course through her, only to be replaced with new anxieties. He was standing in line, waiting for the boarding process to begin, but he didn’t seem to notice her approaching.

“Abed!”

He looked up at the sound of her voice and she ran faster. She slid to a stop in front of him and took a moment to catch her breath.

Abed looked at her curiously.

“Are you okay?”

Annie threw her arms around his shoulders and burying her face into the front of his shirt. She felt Abed tense up from shock with his arms pressed firmly against his sides, until he slowly relaxed and reciprocated. He held her even tighter than before, almost knocking her over from how heavily he leaned against her. His hands gripped her back. A shiver ran up her spine when she felt his breath against her neck.

When she pulled away, she didn’t remove her arms from his shoulders. His face was just inches from hers, his dark brown eyes were so deep and mesmerizing that she found herself unable to look away. She didn’t feel like she was being studied or judged under his gaze, she simply felt seen - admired. She felt so relaxed that her previous anxieties were unable to prevent her from pressing her lips to his.

It took Abed a few seconds to respond, but once he did he didn’t hold back. It felt different than the way he kissed her as Han. His lips were soft, gentle as he followed her pace. The hand resting on her back trailed up so he could brush his fingers against her cheek, catching the tears that were rolling from her closed eyes. She pressed her body closer to his, backing him up against the wall in the process and tangling her fingers in his thick black hair.

Annie broke the kiss when she realized how long she had gone without taking a breath. Plus the realization that they were still in public was getting hard to ignore.

Abed stood in front of her with his eyes wide and his hair mussed up. He opened and closed his mouth, as if trying to find the words. Annie brought her defenses up, mentally preparing herself for what he was going to say.

When he finally spoke, his voice was breathier than usual.

“Wait, are you playing a character?”

Annie stared at him, then her defenses broke down and she started laughing. It was a nervous laugh at first after preparing herself for the worst, but it didn’t take long for it to become genuine laughter. She pressed the top of her head against his chest.

“I didn’t want to leave without doing that first.”

“I’m glad you did.” He placed his arm around her shoulders. “Although in a dramatic storytelling sense, your timing could have been better. I’m in Section G, so I was going to be waiting here for a while.”

Abed looked behind him at the other passengers waiting in line.

“Oh,” Annie’s face flushed and she looked down at the floor. “I feel kind of silly now.”

“Don’t be,” Abed lifted her chin so she could meet his eyes. “The whole trope is silly, and that’s okay. But you made it meaningful.”

She placed her hand over his.

“I wish I was able to do that before today.”

“Because we’re both going to opposite sides of the country and you worry that we’ll never see each other again?”

“Yeah,” Annie glanced to the side. “Delicately put.”

Abed looked to be deep in thought again, but Annie could notice the subtle changes in his expression. The way his jaw tightened, his brow tensed, and his lips slightly parted. Then he looked back at her.

“Can I kiss you again?”

Annie knew that she wouldn’t be able to respond without her voice coming out as a squeak, so she nodded.

The tension faded from Abed’s face and he smiled. His kiss was shorter and gentler, and probably more appropriate for the setting they were in. One of his hands cupped the side of her face while the other was interlocked with hers. With how she usually felt the need to plan everything ahead of time, it impressed her how easy it was to kiss Abed. It was as if she had known how to do it for years.

Annie continued to feel the touch of his lips, even as she sat in her seat and waited for her plane to take off. She pulled her carry-on bag out from underneath the seat in front of her and dug out her planner and a pen. The seatbelt sign hadn’t turned on yet, so she still had time to cross off all of her completed tasks. She struck her pen through each item she finished until she reached the most intricate one:

_“Say goodbye to Abed (10 step process listed below)”_

Her heart raced as she read through the list at all of the steps which proved to be unnecessary. Like most things, it turned out that the real solution was much simpler than what she had planned out.

She crossed out the entire outline and she held her planner close to her chest, smiling to herself.

Task complete.


End file.
